单选题Standard English is the variety of English which is usually used in print and which is normally taught in schools and to non-native speakers learning the language. It is also the variety which is normally (1) by educated people and used in news broadcasts and other (2) situations. The difference between standard and nonstandard, it should be noted, has (3) in principle to do with differences between formal and colloquial (4) ; standard English has colloquial as well as formal variants. (5) , the standard variety of English is based on the London (6) of English that developed after the Norman Conquest resulted in the removal of the Court from Winchester to London. This dialect became the one (7) by the educated, and it was developed and promoted (8) a model, or norm, for wider and wider segments of society. It was also the (9) that was carried overseas, but not one unaffected by such export. Today, (10) English is arranged to the extent that tile grammar and vocabulary of English are (11) the same everywhere in the world where English is used; (12) among local standards is really quite minor, (13) the Singapore, South Africa, and Irish varieties are really very (14) different from one another so far as grammar and vocabulary are (15) .Indeed, Standard English is so powerful that it exerts a tremendous (16) on all local varieties, to the extent that many of long-established dialects of England have (17) much of their vigor and there is considerable pressure on them to be (18) . This latter situation is not unique (19) English: it is also true in other countries where processes of standardization are (20) .But it sometimes creates problems for speakers who try to strike some kind of compromise between local norms and national, even supranational ones.

单选题One of the most pressing challenges that the United States—and indeed, the world—will face in the next few decades is how to alleviate the growing stress that human activities are placing on the environment. The consequences are just too great to ignore. Wildlife habitats are being degraded or disappearing altogether as new developments take up more land. Plant and animal species are becoming extinct at a greater rate now than at any time in Earth's history. As many as 30 percent of the world's fish stocks are overexploited. And the list goes on. Yet, there is reason to have hope for the future. Advances in computing power and molecular biology are among the tremendous increases in scientific capability that are helping researchers gain a better understanding of these problems. Recent developments in science and technology could provide the basis for some major, and timely actions that would improve our understanding of how human activities affect the environment. One priority for research is improving hydrological forecasting. It has been estimated that the world's water use could triple in the next two decades. Already, widespread water shortages have occurred in parts of China, India, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. The need for water also is taking its toll on freshwater ecosystems in the United States. Only 2 percent of the nation's streams are considered in good condition, and close to 40 percent of native fish species are rare to extinct. Using a variety of new remote sensing tools, scientists can learn more about how precipitation affects water levels, how surface water is generated and transported, and how changes in the landscape affect water supplies. To prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases in plants, animals, and humans, more study is needed on how pathogens, parasites, and disease-carrying species—as well as humans and other species they infect— are affected by changes in the environment. The overuse of antibiotics both in humans and in farm animals has contributed to the growth of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Researchers can take advantage of new technologies in genetics and computing to better monitor and predict the effects that environmental changes might have on disease outbreaks. Humans have made alterations to Earth's surface—such as tropical deforestation, reduction of surface and ground water, and massive development—so dramatic that they approach the levels of transformation that occurred during glacial periods. Such alterations cause changes in local and regional climate, and will determine the future of agriculture. Recent advances in data collection and analysis should be used to document and better understand the causes and consequences of changes in land cover and use.

单选题Owing to the efforts of the originators of the Welfare State______

单选题Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and. In order to understand, however imperfectly, what is meant by "face", we must take {{U}}(1) {{/U}}of the fact that, as a race, the Chinese have a strongly{{U}} (2) {{/U}}instinct. The theatre may almost be said to be the only national amusement, and the Chinese have for theatricals a{{U}} (3) {{/U}} like that of the Englishman{{U}} (4) {{/U}}athletics, or the Spaniard for bull-fights. Upon very slight provocation, any Chinese regards himself in the{{U}} (5) {{/U}}of an actor in a drama. He throws himself into theatrical attitudes, performs the salaam, falls upon his knees, prostrates himself and strikes his head upon the earth, {{U}}(6) {{/U}}circumstances which to an Occidental seem to make such actions superfluous, {{U}}(7) {{/U}}to say ridiculous. A Chinese thinks in theatrical terms. When roused in self-defense he addresses two or three persons as if they were a multitude. He exclaims: "I say this in the presence of You, and You, and You, who are all here present. " If his troubles are adjusted he{{U}} (8) {{/U}}of himself as having "got off the stage" with credit, and if they are not adjusted he finds no way to "retire from the stage". All this, {{U}}(9) {{/U}}it clearly understood, has nothing to do with realities. The question is never of facts, but always of {{U}}(10) {{/U}}. If a fine speech has been{{U}} (11) {{/U}}at the proper time and in the proper way, the requirement of the play is met. We are not to go behind the scenes, for that would{{U}} (12) {{/U}}all the plays in the world. Properly to execute acts like these in all the complex relations of life, is to have "face". To fail them, to ignore them, to be thwarted in the performance of them, this is to "{{U}} (13) {{/U}}face". Once rightly apprehended, "face" will be found to be in itself a {{U}}(14) {{/U}}to the combination lock of many of the most important characteristics of the Chinese. It should be added that the principles which regulate "face" and its attainment are often wholly{{U}} (15) {{/U}}the intellectual apprehension of the Occidental, who is constantly forgetting the theatrical element, and wandering{{U}} (16) {{/U}}into the irrelevant regions of fact. To him it often seems that Chinese "face" is not unlike the South Sea Island taboo, a force of undeniable potency, but capricious, and not reducible to rule, deserving only to be abolished and replaced by common sense. At this point Chinese and Occidentals must agree to{{U}} (17) {{/U}}, for they can never be brought to view the same things in the same light. In the adjustment of the incessant quarrels which distract every hamlet, it is necessary for the "peace-talkers" to take a careful account of the{{U}} (18) {{/U}}of "face" as European statesmen once did of the balance of power. The object in such cases is not the execution of even-handed justice, which, even if theoretically desirable, seldom{{U}} (19) {{/U}}to an Oriental as a possibility, but such an arrangement as will distribute to all concerned "face" in due proportions. The same principle often applies in the settlement of lawsuits, a very large percentage of which end in what may be called a{{U}} (20) {{/U}}game.

单选题What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

单选题"You are not here to tell me what to do. You are here to tell me why I have done what I have already decided to do," Montagu Norman, the Bank of England's longest-serving governor (1920-1944), is reputed to have once told his economic adviser. Today, thankfully, central banks aim to be more transparent in their decision making, as well as more rational. But achieving either of these things is not always easy. With the most laudable of intentions, the Federal Reserve, America's central bank, may be about to take a step that could backfire. Unlike the Fed, many other central banks have long declared explicit inflation targets and then set interest rates to try to meet these. Some economists have argued that the Fed should do the same. With Alan Greenspan, the Fed's much-respected chairman, due to retire next year—after a mere 18 years in the job—some Fed officials want to adopt a target, presumably to maintain the central bank's credibility in the scary new post-Greenspan era. The Fed discussed such a target at its February meeting, according to minutes published this week. This sounds encouraging. However, the Fed is considering the idea just when some other central banks are beginning to question whether strict inflation targeting really works. At present central banks focus almost exclusively on consumer-price indices. On this measure Mr. Greenspan can boast that inflation remains under control. But some central bankers now argue that the prices of assets, such as houses and shares, should also somehow be taken into account. A broad price index for America which includes house prices is currently running at 5.5%, its fastest pace since 1982. Inflation has simply taken a different form. Should central banks also try to curb increases in such asset prices? Mr. Greenspan continues to insist that monetary policy should not be used to prick asset-price bubbles. Identifying bubbles is difficult, except in retrospect, he says, and interest rates are a blunt weapon: an increase big enough to halt rising prices could trigger a recession. It is better, he says, to wait for a housing or stock market bubble to burst and then to cushion the economy by cutting interest rates—as he did in 2001-2002. And yet the risk is not just that asset prices can go swiftly into reverse. As with traditional inflation, surging asset prices also distort price signals and so can cause a misallocation of resources—encouraging too little saving, for example, or too much investment in housing. Surging house prices may therefore argue for higher interest rates than conventional inflation would demand. In other words, strict inflation targeting—the fad of the 1990s—is too crude.

单选题The use of chemicals in almost all areas of life has become a commonplace phenomenon. There is growing evidence, however, that chemicals in the environment, including pesticides, may contribute to some illnesses. While studies are still being conducted, preliminary conclusions point to the verdict that such chemicals are indeed negatively impacting those humans to whom they are exposed. Children are especially vulnerable to toxic substances. Pound for pound, they eat, drink and breathe more than adults, all of which exposes them more heavily to those chemicals to which most individuals encounter on a daily basis. Furthermore, their bodies are still in developing stages, exacerbating the negative effects of those chemicals, which negatively impact them. Of 50 types of pesticides commonly used in American schools, a study conducted by the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides found that many caused negative reactions in laboratory animals. Such negative effects included kidney and liver damage, cancer, and neurological and reproductive problems. These implications of these findings are far-reaching. Given the variety of harmful effects attributed to those pesticides tested, one must pause and consider whether it is wise to continue their use in the nation"s schools, where children will be constantly exposed to them. Activists have lobbied for the elimination of such use with a degree of success, and recent findings, if supported by further analysis and confirmation, may help further the cause. A long term solution or alternative, however, remains elusive. In the short run, however, there may be some measures that can be taken to mitigate the harmful effects of dangerous pesticides. The American Medical Association"s Council on Scientific Affairs concluded in a 1997 report that given the "particular uncertainty.., regarding the long-term health effects of low-dose pesticide exposures," it is "prudent" for adults and children to limit their exposure and to "consider the use of the least toxic chemical pesticides or non-chemical alternatives. "

单选题The expression "do the trick" in the last paragraph most probably means

单选题How have the business attitudes changed in Britain?

单选题You slip the key into the ignition and crank the engine to life. But before you put the car into gear, you tap a key on the keyboard mounted by the steering wheel, and your newest e-mail flashes up on the windscreen. This seductive satyr is what you get when you cross a car and a computer. Dubbed the "network vehicle", or net-mobile, it may soon come to a driveway near you (probably the one belonging to your rich neighbor). In a net-mobile, a motorist could tap into a regional road system but also to map out a route around rush-hour traffic snags. Drivers and passengers will be able to send and receive e-mail, track the latest sports scores or stock quotes, surf the Web, and even play video games. Or so, at least, say a number of computer-industry firms such as Microsoft, Sun, IBM and Netscape. The modern car is already an electronic showcase on wheels. On-board microcomputers improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. They operate anti-lock brake systems, and on some cars even regulate the firmness of the shock absorbers. But much of the technology needed to add extra is available now. A prototype network vehicle, produced by a consortium of Netscape, Sun, IBM and Delco (an automotive-electronics firm based in Michigan), was introduced at the recent annual computer-industry show in Las Vegas. It not only offered such desktop-computer-like services as e-mail, but allowed a driver to use them without looking away from the road. It was operated by voice commands and projected its data on to the windscreen, using the same sort of head-up display system found in modern fighter jets. Members of the consortium think a real-world network vehicle could be in production in as little as four years. Car makers have already begun rolling out some of the features found on these prototype net- mobiles. If the driver of a General Motors car equipped with its On-Star system locks his key in the car, for example, an emergency centre can transmit a digital signal to unlock the doors. On-Star also calls automatically for help if an accident triggers the airbags. Toyota and General Motors are among a growing list of firms offering in-car navigation systems. And in Europe, BMW and Mercedes-Benz recently introduced navigation hardware that can not only plot out a route, but alert a driver to traffic jams.

单选题What does the sentence "society could not care less whether we play it or not "mean? ______.

单选题Changes in the conditions of international trade resulted in an

单选题It is the staff of dreams and nightmares. Where Tony Blair's attempts to make Britain love the euro have fallen on deaf ears, its incarnation as notes and coins will succeed. These will be used not just in the euro area but in Britain. As the British become accustomed to the euro as a cash currency, they will warm to it--paving the way for a yes note in a referendum. The idea of euro creep appeals to both sides of the euro argument. According to the pros, as Britons become familiar with the euro, membership will start to look inevitable, so those in favor are bound to win. According to the antis, as Britons become familiar with the euro, membership will start to look inevitable, so those opposed must mobilize for the fight. Dream or nightmare, euro creep envisages the single currency worming its way first into the British economy and then into the affections of voters. British tourists will come back from their European holidays laden with euros, which they will spend not just at airports but in high street shops. So, too, will foreign visitors. As the euro becomes a parallel currency, those who make up the current two-to-one majority will change their minds. From there, it will be a short step to decide to dispense with the pound. Nell Kinnock, a European commissioner and former leader of the Labor Party, predicts that the euro will soon become Britain's second currency. Hans Eichel, the German finance minister, also says that it will become a parallel currency in countries like Switzerland and Britain. Peter Hain, the European minister who is acting as a cheerleader for membership, says the euro will become "a practical day-to-day reality and that will enable people to make a sensible decision about it." As many as a third of Britain's biggest retailers, such as Marks and Spencer, have said they will take euros in some of their shops. BP has also announced that it will accept euros at some of its garages. But there is less to this than meet the eyes. British tourists can now withdraw money from cashpoint from European holiday destinations, so they are less likely than in the past to end up with excess foreign money. Even if they do, they generally get rid of it at the end of their holidays, says David Southwell, a spokesman for the British Retail Consortium (BRC).